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Facebook Appreciation

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December 6, 2016

One of my favorite things about traveling is the variety of people that you meet along the way. Throughout my three months abroad, I've made connections with people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. My 9-day tour of Ireland alone, for example, resulted in amazing friendships with women from California, Canada, Washington state, New Zealand, Germany, and more.

Facebook has turned out to be an important tool for maintaining lasting connections with these individuals. I've contemplated deleting my Facebook account several times in the past, in the name of minimizing ties to technology, but I've become so grateful to have access to this technology during my study abroad journey. The site's ability to keep me connected with many of the individuals that I've met on my adventures is something I've grown to be extraordinarily thankful for. Whether I met them on my 9-day tour, in the grocery store, or at a bus stop, I can keep in touch with the friends I've made via Facebook calling, group chats, and meme-tagging. Their status updates keep me informed of where their respective lives and travels have taken them, and even allow us to make plans to get together if and when we are once again in the same corner of the globe.

Thus, although modern technology, and social media in particular, leaves us with much to gripe about, there is something to be said for it's remarkable ability to connect individuals who otherwise may have never seen or heard from one another again. As I've learned to appreciate, this ability becomes an especially useful tool for travelers such as myself!